In 1955, he purchased the
Vasquez Rocks property to train animals, which he called ''Nature's Haven
. He married Toni Ringo in 1963. They had a daughter, Tana Helfer. In 1963, the property was cut in half by the Antelope Valley Freeway, so they relocated to Soledad Canyon and bought of land to build a new ranch, naming it Africa U.S.A. Africa U.S.A. was a training compound and a provider of animals for Hollywood. Some of its animals were Clarence, the cross-eyed lion; Judy, the chimp in Daktari; and Ben (originally named Bruno), the bear in Gentle Ben. The compound was also used as a location for shows such as Daktari and the original Star Trek'' episode "
Shore Leave". During this period, he owned the "human" chimp
Oliver. Helfer was cleared of all accusations except one concerning the death of a tiger due to an
overdose by the veterinarian, not Helfer. The matter was supposed to go to the
Supreme Court, but never did. Helfer left the business because of the imminent financial pressure of the suit.
Media In 1981, Helfer wrote and produced the adventure film
Savage Harvest. In the 1990s, he began a successful career as a writer. Most of his books are
nonfiction life stories of noted animals. He now lives in Los Angeles and Kenya, where he leads safari tours with his company Eden International Safaris and Treks. Toni Ringo Helfer (d. March 20, 2012) published the book
The Gentle Jungle (
Brigham Young University Press - 1980 - ). She made the cover of
TV Guide in 1968. Ralph and Toni later divorced but remained best of friends. Tana Helfer played the role of Kristie in
Savage Harvest and was the subject of the book
When you fight the tiger by Joan Hewett (
Little, Brown and Company - 1984 - ). ==Bibliography==